Americans shoot more than 800 monkeys dead for sport every year, figures suggest

More than 11,000 primate hunting trophies traded within nine years, according to animal charity

Chacma baboon were trophy hunters' top choice of primate victim (Wikipedia commons)

American trophy hunters are reportedly shooting dead more than 800 monkeys every year.

According to animal rights group Humane Society International, more than 11,000 primate hunting trophies were traded between countries from 2007 to 2016, with almost 80 per cent making their way to the US.

On average, the US imported almost 890 primate trophies annually, with Spain the next biggest importer, with 490 trophies brought into the country over the entire period.

Chacma baboons – roughly 4ft tall monkeys with a keen taste for fruit and insects – were the most sought after kills, according to the figures, with almost 7,000 hunted in that time.

Second most popular were vervet monkeys (1,400), while yellow baboons (932) were third.

The top countries of origin where most primates were shot were South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique, respectively.

“I’m not surprised by the dominant role the US has,” Iris Ho, senior specialist at HSI, told National Geographic, adding: “I’m still surprised about the number US hunters are bringing in every year as primate trophies.”

Trophy hunting is legal under international law, but unlike the expensive fees charged to kill large game animals like lions and rhinos, licences to shoot monkeys often cost next to nothing.

“It’s often free, or trophy fees can be as little as $20 (£15), so in essence people can just shoot primates,” Ms Ho said.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the most common primates being shot are not considered endangered, and the trophy hunting figures – collated using figures from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – need to be treated with caution.

Exporters and importers sometimes count bodies and body parts differently, the IUCN said, noting bush meat hunting and habitat loss were likely to be “far more significant” to population decline than trophy hunting.